Sold Out!

On the aptly titled Improvisations for Strings and Electronics, Marielle Jakobsons and Agnes Szelag (Myrmyr) team up with cellist Helena Espvall (of Espers) on a series of, you guessed it, improvisations for strings and electronics. Recorded in Oakland, CA, Jakobsons and Szelag created graphic scores for the occasion.

A little while ago Agnes asked me which bands I’d compare this album to. I couldn’t think of a single one. Not even the more classically oriented works of someone like Godspeed! You Black Emperor really come close.

What did immediately leap to mind were the string quartets of contemporary composers Gloria Coates, Morton Feldman, Per Nørgård, and Henryk Górecki. As well, some of the more challenging, discordant and visceral works of Arvo Pärt bear a similarity to the sinuous, winding melodies and stunning tonal landscape created here.

We have some great stuff planned for release beginning in January of the new year!

CDs

Jakobsons, Espvall, Szelag — A really very special set from an amazing cello trio featuring Helena Espvall and the ladies from the fabulous Myrmyr. To call the music merely beautiful or mesmerizing would be to imply it doesn’t somehow grab your heart in both hands and give it a spiritual friction burn. Naturally, we’re doing some special packaging for this one.

Moonwood — TBD. The follow up/companion album to the River Ghosts LP. A further trip into rural Americana by way of Asian psych-funk and lunar space-rock. Mostly instrumental, all the “proper” recordings Jakob has done leading up to the birth of the “Moonwood mark II” duo (featuring vocalist/percussionist/flutist Jacqueline Noire) which should also see a proper release of some sort later in 2012.

Split Tapes

9/10: Khôra / Nick Kuepfer — From what I understand, the boys are going to cross-pollinate each other’s sides on this split. So is it a really a split? We’ll see. Like chocolate and peanut butter or wine and cheese or romance and comedy, it’s going to be an awesome combination.

11/12: Silent Land Time Machine / Jeremy Kelly — The cross pollination continues as Khôra and Kuepfer show up on one of the tracks on SLTM’s side—angelic drones and wicked noises. Jeremy’s set is a magical journey into a post-apocalyptic folk wasteland. Like a version of the movie, The Road, but starring Bob Dylan and filmed on super-8.

13/14: Elfin Choirs (Colin Fisher)/ Aaron Lumley — Two of Toronto’s freakiest avant-jazz giants. Aaron’s solo stand-up bass sets have been one of the highlights of 2011, we’re hoping to capture some of that magic for posterity here. Colin has been vague about the material he has recorded (but has yet to mix down) for his side. But the words “guitar” and “drums” and “saxophone” have been out forward, which can old mean good things.

Digital

Moonwood – A krautrock EP called Trans Lunar Express is slated for release on the Bandcampsite. Also a digital “box set” compilation/clearing house of all of Moonwood’s Heavy Moon space rock albums and EPs recorded since 2007, including some new material, will be available here.